I hope you have read Chapters 1-3. Please share your greatest "take-away" from these chapters. I will begin...
Real Talk Lesson #5 Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.
Change is going to take place. As admins we can be a part of the change and make sure change is successful or we can ride through our careers to retirement sucking tax payer dollars from our system. I choose to be a small part in continuing to make Gadsden City Schools successful! I will not misuse tax payers funds or ride the system....I want to make a difference in someone's life....
I think great change can take place in young person's life as we connect with them on a personal level. I really like what Dr. Brown said about seeing the good in each student. This is something I want to refocus on as an administrator. Looking for the good and fostering those qualities in individuals to help them grow into productive citizens. My challenge is unique as an assistant principal. The students I get to know best come to me for disciplinary reasons. My relationship must be to administer the discipline while developing a relationship that can promote growth.
ReplyDeleteReal Talk Lesson # 3...significant learning will not take place without a significant relationship...the favorite saying in my house is "rules without relationship leads to rebellion." I agree with Brent, it really is all about the relationship. It is not always easy to find the good in some students because they won't let you in but it is well worth the time to try. I love the quote in the book..."just because you mess up doesn't mean you have to give up" As educators I think we have an obligation to our students to keep encouraging them and giving them a second, third, fourth chance. Several years ago a teacher asked me, "well just how many times do you think I should keep talking to this student before it is enough!?....my response, "as many times as it takes"...
ReplyDeleteI like Real Talk Lesson #3 also. I have found that my students have been disappointed by so many adults in life that they expect to be hurt. Trust and respect are difficult to develop and quickly lost.
ReplyDeleteIn Real Talk Chapter 2, the author talks about those students who send the message that they care very little about everything you have to say and that we as educators label those students as "at risk". Adolph Brown prefers to refer to those students as "at risk of success". Our approach has to be the same. We must see the opportunities that these students have to be successful and the opportunities we have to make a positive impact on their life. Therefore, it is my belief that building valuable, sustainable relationships with students is vital to having a positive impact. The only way we really know what a student needs and how to really have an impact is to create a relationship that will foster growth for both the student and teacher.
ReplyDeleteReal Talk Lesson #3...Relationships are necessary for student growth. I have found that when I connected with my students, the atmosphere of the classroom was great. Of course I didn’t understand every problem for every child, but I was able to learn some valuable information. The more a teacher connects or communicates with his or her students, the more likely they will be able to help students learn at a high level.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading chapters 1-3, I am reminded of the importance of focusing more on the good (positives) instead of the bad (negatives). Real Talk #1 tells us that labels are for clothing not for children. Nevertheless, we live in a society where there’s a plethora of NEGATIVE labels. So, as Real Talk #2 suggests, “I must be the change.” Being a CHANGE AGENT will require building authentic relationships with my students, parents, etc.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how Dr. Brown replaced the phrase- “at-risk for failure” to “at-risk for success.” In sum, since we live in an ever-changing world, change is inevitable. I must teach that there is a time and place for everything as well as target “THE GOOD” in everyone inside my WHEELBARROW.
Dr. Brown refers to FEAR frequently in these first three chapters. I actually re-read them because it caught my attention subconsciously. I closely relate to this because of a plethora of fears in me as a child: 1) fear of being abandoned 2) fear of being abused 3) fear of failure and success and sadly the list was long. But I had a first grade teacher that recognized this in me and ever so patiently spoke to me in soft tones with kindness and it started me on the path to acceptance. Like so many of the rest of you stated, it primarily comes down to relationship - at home, school, or job. Virtually no one will get in your(my) wheelbarrow on a tightrope without trust. Trust is built slowly, usually, and once gained, must be maintained. We can initiate change by developing trusting relationships. Trust can replace fear.
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ReplyDeleteRhonda and Brent: I agree with you both wholeheartedly. There just is NO substitute for "relationship". No matter how the world and its values change, children STILL have that inherent need to look up to someone they can trust and/or confide in. Brent brings up the valid point that most of the students he sees are for disciplinary reasons. That's part of his role. Sometimes, I simply go into the lunchroom to visit/talk with students at lunch time that is away from the classroom environment. Using that time gives me a chance to connect with more than just students needing attention due to discipline issues. There is no trust without relationship.
ReplyDeleteReal Talk Lesson #2: You can be the change!
ReplyDeleteAs educators, often times we become discouraged and feel as though we are "fighting a losing battle"...not receiving the support needed for success from parents and certainly not from the majority of political leaders in our community/state. Imagine the change that could take place if each of us "buy in" and truly believe we CAN be the change...making it our goal each day to make some sort of progress..a positive change...no matter how significant.
I'm a firm believer that attitude is everything. It all starts with OUR attitudes and actions. If we want our students to believe in themselves, we must believe in our teachers and communicate that on a daily basis. We must also believe in our own ability promote positive change in the face of adversity. No excuses!
I want to be the change .."for some very special young people"!
"Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important"
"An important first step in any major change effort is accepting what you do not know." I consider this to be a profound statement because it is so hard. We want proof and if we can't have proof, we want to ignore it. We'll never have all the answers because it is impossible to know all the factors
ReplyDeleteChapter 1-3 Real Talk
ReplyDeleteFrom reading Chapters 1-3 my mind kept going back to the Real Talk Lesson #5, Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. Change is constant and nothing in life stands still. Change takes us off track, out of our rut, or on a way of change. Having a mindset of openness to what is new and different can set up students for improvement. An attitude adjustment to change can really change your life. Change and differences are to happen in the schools and we might have to do something CHANGE SOMETHING. We have to understand, accept, and be honest with ourselves, resistance to change is normal and its ok. We need to stop and take notice and decide to grow ourselves. I agree with Mr. Brown we have to teach our young people that it is a time and a place for everything. Remember it is about the students.
Change is inevitable like Dr. Smoots said. Change has never scared me. I'm not a believer in "That's just the way we've always done it". New ideas can bring about growth and success. Egos cannot get in the way of the growth or change. What's best for the students is what needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteResonating three lessons:
ReplyDelete#3: Significant learning will not take place without significant relationship -
This lesson rings loud and clear to me. This is one I learned a long time ago and has proven true throughout the decades. I mentioned my high school mentor earlier in this blog. She cannot know the powerful impact her quiet encouragement had on me. By the time I went to college, I knew, without a doubt, what my path would be. She also taught to use resources even when there appeared to be none. My academic record was much better in college and beyond than even high school. It stemmed from her relationship with me and this passed on to college professors. They became friends as well as teachers. I have lived by this. I do not call my students "friends", but I develop genuine, caring, and professional relationships with them so when the time comes to be firm and not bending, they can trust me. Every single year, former students seek me out to share how their life is going and what direction they are moving in.
#5: Change is inevitable. Growth is optional -
This was a very hard lesson for me to apply to my life. I had a "Leave it to Beaver" lifestyle, then BAM! Literally everything changed in my life. In three months' time, my dad abandoned our family, my oldest brother got married and joined the Air Force (he was my rock), the rest of us moved to a new city where my mother opened her own business from scratch. I virtually lost both parents at one time. Growing out of this situation was a long haul, but I distinctly remember the day I said to myself, "Self. Nobody is going to get you out or through this if you don't pick yourself up and quit wallowing in selfishness and self-pity!" I have never feared change since. My first outlook when change is thrown at me is to stop, assess, evaluate, and immediately begin finding the good points of said change. Change can be the very vehicle whereby growth stems from. Embrace them both!
#9: Be a balcony person, not a basement person -
For several years I was the guard at the door of the basement. Although there are many negative, critical people in this world, and yes, even in education, I choose every day to not go back to the dungeon. It stank in there. It was rancid with no light for things to grow - including me. Once I broke out into the light, I vowed never to go back. I have been in some extremely dire and tragic circumstances in my life, but my heart longs to stay in the balcony where there are others who have overcome and persevered and are encouragers. I absolutely love the term "encourager". So much more can be seen from the balcony. Interestingly enough, people have to look UP to see who is in the balcony.
Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate being a part of this PLU. The administrators and teachers with whom I associate and work with are quality people. I also appreciate the freedom to be able to truly express my modes of operation and experiences with you all. I am as comfortable in the Superintendent's office as I am in the classroom or faculty meeting. All of these ten lessons are significant and #2 speaks to us all - YOU CAN BE THE CHANGE.